For a long time, personalizing a truck meant earning it.
Weekends lost to a garage floor. Forums scrolled at midnight trying to figure out if a lift kit and upsized tire would rub against a stock fender. A drawer full of receipts from three different shops because no single installer would touch the whole job. You paid for a one-of-one truck.
In time, you’d usually void the warranty somewhere along the way.
Plenty of enthusiasts still want it that way. I get it. Figuring out the parts list is half the fun, and nobody on my team is trying to take that away from them.
But I hear from a bigger group who love the idea of a one-of-one truck, but have zero interest in becoming a part-time mechanic to get one.
They've got a job or a kid's soccer schedule to deal with. They already know what they want their Bronco® SUV to look like. They just don't want to spend six months and four Saturdays finding out whether it's possible.
Almost half of our customers personalize their vehicle in some way, according to Ipsos New Vehicle Customer Survey data, well ahead of the rest of the industry, and the number keeps climbing.
None of that is new to us. With the most passionate showroom lineup we’ve ever had, it’s no surprise our customers want to further customize.
What's changed is how much friction we've managed to strip out of actually doing it.
For those who want to customize themelves, it starts with genuine Ford Accessories. We engineer these accessories alongside the vehicle itself rather than guessing afterward, so on day one of a new model's life, we already have hundreds of parts validated to fit it exactly. The aftermarket usually needs months to catch up. We don't have that lag, because we designed the parts at the same time as the truck.
And for those customers who want more sound, more stance, and more power, we've got Ford Racing Parts: superchargers, calibration upgrades, suspension kits, a catalog deep enough to keep a DIYer busy for years. Every part in it goes through the same salt spray and durability testing as the vehicle. Have one bolted on by a certified shop and your warranty stays intact.
Ford Custom Garage is the newest piece, for the customer who wants the same accessories, same performance parts, same testing and factory backing, just assembled into a complete package ahead of time.
Ford Custom Garage vehicles aren’t a collection of parts. We don’t slap a supercharger on and call it a day. Our designers and engineers obsess about the total package, bringing turnkey experiences to our customers.
A dealer or accredited ASE certified shop installs the package before you take delivery. And you can finance it through Ford Credit like anything else on the lot.
Whether you want a 700-horsepower F-150® truck or a vehicle inspired by a desert sunrise, the path you took to get there doesn't make the truck any less yours. Some people spend a decade perfecting a build. Others know exactly what they want the day they walk into the dealership.
As I like to say, if you think you're an enthusiast, you are.
Matt Simpson is executive director of Ford Customization.
